The mother daughter relationship can be no less than a cryptogram and at times you may accept, decode and explore it with a sense of disbelief because of the complexities and diversities that bind its world together. It evolves and goes through several phases and every time you think you've fathomed it all, it gets metamorphosed once again. 

Sometimes I feel I lack in a lot of aspects and can never make it as a ‘good’ daughter to her. Be it time, love or faith, I have never been able to be that giving or expressive, or warm for that matter, and so my relationship with my mother has been stuck at a state where things could have been much better. What made matters worse was her disease schizophrenia, and I found myself incapable of understanding the feelings that she always hid in her, the well of emotions that never came up to the surface. We had fights more often than not and her violent mood swings didn't help either.

On a rain swept afternoon when the molten glow in the sky was nowhere to be seen and I was at home trying to find it from the window in our room, I was once again struck with the recurrent thoughts of making it up to her. I somehow wanted to knit our worlds together and be at peace.

One of the things she liked doing the most was knitting and my encounter with a shopping portal a few days ago where you could find beautiful table lamps, cushion covers, rugs and bed sheets online left me with an idea that I thought would work. She used to teach me knitting when I was small and we used to spend incessant hours together weaving rows of threads and making dresses, cushion covers, handkerchiefs and more. I got out the case that had all the knitting accessories and kept it on her table so she could see it when she woke up from her afternoon slumber.

It was only when she took my name with childlike enthusiasm and called for me from the other room that I realise I was on the right track. We spent the falling afternoon talking about her childhood days and knitting cushion covers like we used to and built a comfort level that I hoped would only grow from here. With all the complexities of the mother daughter relationship closely following us, I knew I had a chance to find back the lost relationship.

Ever wondered why it seems so important to have some nice covers for the bed? Why bed sheet designs hog all the attention, at least a considerable amount if you were to score it on a scale of 1 to 10, when we’re busy buying it in the shop? Why there are times when even when we aren't sure or satisfied with the material, we still go for the bed sheet only because it has a design that has caught our fancy?

A nod from the home decor department 
Well, one of the most imperative reasons behind it, I think, has to be its influencing role in the home decor department and its ability to dominate the spirits of the beholder.

I mean you wouldn't want to come back to a space that looks drab and feels lifeless when you return home, would you? You can’t agree more that crashing into the bed that is covered with a pristine linen sheet after a long drive or a trying day at work is like the best thing in the world at the end of the day.

The same theory can be applied when you have guests over. You want everything to be spick and span and brimming with life, and the guests to be appreciative of the space that you pride yourself in calling ‘home’. So its only natural for you to go with bed linens that look pretty and positively affect the ambience of the house.

Seeking an identity
Another reason I feel that has a lot to do with our obsession with covers for bed and bed sheet designs is identity. Designs speak of tastes and it isn’t an unknown fact that people often associate you with the kind of things you carry or the way you do up your home. Besides, designs can also speak volumes about the culture you endorse, the background you hail from and even the religion you follow. Explicit examples would be that of Hindu bedrooms that have bed covers or other home furnishing accessories bearing religious motifs that its occupants have faith in while Muslim households have abstract designs, geometric patterns and the name of Allah as a recurrent motif in its designs and themes. Another distinguishable example would include the famous block prints of Bengal, Rajasthan and Gujarat that are often a part of linens originating from that region.

One for the partner in crime
Yes you heard that right. It is literally our partner in the crime that we love to commit, sleep that is! (And also the other thing that came to your mind...Ahem!).

I have heard so much about the perks of buying things online that I can’t deny I have actually thought about trying out this medium someday. I used to vehemently advocate against it once upon a time. I mean I just couldn't fathom how one could spend thousands of rupees without physically scrutinizing the article in question and at the same time believing that he would get authentic stuff and not be duped. But after I saw many of my friends and a couple of my cousins purchasing things online and to their heart’s content, my fears subsided. I could not help but ask if it was really that convenient and helpful a medium and needless to say the answer was in the affirmative.

That day while doing the room I realized we need to get new bed sheets for the house. Some bathroom rugs would do good, too, I thought to myself. Sceptical although I was very, I decided to take the leap and buy bed sheets online. Browsing through the net I bumped into this home furnishing web-store named Freedom Tree and I was extremely impressed by their online collection. It seemed like a kaleidoscope of butterflies… Intense, vibrant and hugely chromatic. They had everything from furniture, table ware, textiles, floor coverings to lighting, home fragrances and accessories. Besides, they had the choicest of rugs in India and their range of bed sheets online was way different from what we usually see in the shops.

Themes like Freedom Folk, Kuppi, Mombaye, Aquarius and Color Pop welcomed the buyer and the slightly retro slightly modern designs made me spoilt for choice. I started picking up things (adding to the cart in their lingo) and before I could realise my shopping bag was inundated with bed sheets, cushions, rugs, glass vases, server platters, cruets and lamp shades. Even though I was exceeding my budget, I felt satisfied. I knew it’d spruce up our living area and breathe life into our bedroom, and my hubby would appreciate the new look.

When the wait was over and they delivered the stuff to my place, I was thrilled to the core. The stuff was par excellence and looked absolutely stunning. All my apprehensions were put to rest and I just couldn’t wait to start using them. Gotta tell you I thoroughly enjoyed my shopping spree and received a lot of praise from my peers for doing up the house so nicely!